One more question about scripture remains: “What Bible do we believe in, the Protestant Bible or the Roman Catholic Bible?” In other words, what do we do with the Deuterocanonical (Definition) books of the Old Testament? (There is no disagreement over the New Testament.)
The status of these several books and parts of books was unclear until the reformation. The Protestant reformers labelled them apocryphal and threw them out. The Council of Trent reacted by declaring them part of the Canon (Definition) and of equal status with the rest of the Bible. The split reflected a millenium-old argument. The Jewish authorities who determine the canonicity of the Hebrew scriptures did not include these texts. But this decision was not made final until after 70 AD, when parts of the young Christian church had already begun using them. St. Augustine thought they should be included. St. Jerome (probably the greatest Biblical scholar of all time) did not. He considered them useful but not of equal stature with the rest, so he inserted them in an addendum at the end of the Old Testament. The Orthodox churches generally follow this practice.
Things probably would have continued in this imprecise way indefinitely except for one thing. The only Biblical support for the existence of purgatory (Definition) and prayers for the dead is found only in one of the deuterocanonical books (2 Maccabees). Since the selling of indulgences (Definition) and the doing of “works” for release from purgatory were the most egregious abuses of the medieval church being protested by Martin Luther, the canonicity of the text became a very big issue indeed. Not surprisingly, each side came to the conclusion that supported their position. Of such things are schisms made.
It would seem appropriate to deal with the deuterocanonical books by classifying them as nonessentials, and therefore to allow diversity of belief in their canonicity. It is recommended that churches allow their people to use whichever version of the Bible they prefer. Moreover, out of respect for the widely-held view that the disputed texts are not canonical and therefore not the inspired word of God, churches should not require (or forbid) belief in doctrines not supported without resort to them. For example, many of our people believe in purgatory. Many others, including most Orthodox theologians and nearly all Protestants, do not. Frankly, it doesn’t matter. No one is going to lose the tiniest bit of God’s love and blessings because they do or do not believe in purgatory. It is a nonessential. And while praying for our departed loved ones is a Christian practice dating back to the early church, it is not universal. It follows, therefore, that it is preferable if prayers for the dead (other than within a funeral Mass or service) are not a part of our public worship.
Pastoral concerns may sometimes dictate otherwise, but in general our churches should not encourage non-scriptural beliefs. In charity, we do not condemn such beliefs (unless they contradict core doctrines of the catholic faith). But we must lead our people to understand the primacy of scripture as the source of our faith.
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